{"id":82176,"date":"2026-02-11T10:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T15:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=82176"},"modified":"2026-02-12T08:54:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:54:35","slug":"women-in-science-2026-ada-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/women-in-science-2026-ada-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting the Earth, One American Rancher at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ada Smith works with ranching communities in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. (Credit: Emmie Sperandeo).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Editor’s note: This profile is part of our 11 Women to Watch in Science<\/a> package.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In rural areas<\/a> of the United States, the effects of climate change<\/a> are here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For ranchers in the West, drought<\/a> is an especially large problem \u2013 one that is likely to reach unprecedented levels, researchers warn. Ada Smith<\/a>, a rural sociologist who works with ranching communities throughout the region, has seen the problems this is already causing firsthand. So have the landowners she interacts with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But implementing new practices to get ahead of the situation is still far easier said than done, she says. Which is why she has made it her mission to better understand the ranchers themselves, including the under-served women in agricultural communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her social-science work examines the human part of conservation and resource management efforts, primarily in Montana \u2013 where she lives \u2013 as well as Idaho and Wyoming. \u201cMy work centers on the social, knowledge and coordination barriers that shape decision-making,\u201d she explains, with the aim being to \u201cconnect it all to real-world solutions that support people and the landscapes they depend on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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There is a significant mental component to the work, Smith says, in addition to the practical and financial realities of implementing these Earth-saving practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For starters, ranching \u2013 and the science around it \u2013 is often generational work, with lands and stewardship practices alike being handed down among families. So \u201cwhen you think about farmers and ranchers trying to adapt to changing their water development strategies, or planting different crops that are more drought-tolerant,\u201d it can be tough to adjust, she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yes, \u201cthere are government programs out there funding some of these things, but the relationship between agency personnel and those on the ground really determines whether a rancher participates.\u201d It\u2019s an aspect not often considered, she adds \u2013 the trust and relationship-building necessary to see such efforts put into action. \u201cIt\u2019s not as easy as just adopting a practice \u2013 they need support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hers is also a field that remains male-dominated, both in terms of who she is working alongside, and who she\u2019s speaking with on the farmland. \u201cBeing a female scientist, trying to understand some of these social dynamics\u201d can be challenging. But Smith views it as an opportunity to better understand perspectives that aren\u2019t her own \u2013 which then helps her guide officials to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experiences growing up on a farm in a remote portion of Wisconsin, combined with summers at her grandparents\u2019 land in Montana, instilled in her a lifelong love of the \u201clarge, open landscapes\u201d she now works to protect. She earned degrees in environmental studies from Wellesley College and the University of British Columbia before receiving a doctorate in society and conservation from the University of Montana. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Now, Smith is a remote-study postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University. And, as part of her current work, Smith monitors ranchers’ grazing management systems, researches expanding grizzly bear populations, and works with the Montana Drought & Climate Project<\/a> and state climate officials to better prepare ranchers for what’s coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experiences, all combined, have shown her that the key to understanding the ranchers and landowners themselves \u2013 and helping them combat climate change \u2013 is \u201cto understand how they are stewarding those places, what the social drivers are for taking care of these lands, and what kinds of incentives and policies need to be in place to keep them maintained.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, she says she has often asked herself: \u201cWhy don\u2019t humans do what\u2019s best for the environment?\u201d She says the answers to that question are largely social and cultural, rather than agricultural, in nature. At the end of the day, \u201ceffective conservation must be grounded in the lived experiences of the people it is meant to serve.\u201d ◼️<\/p>\n\n\n \n \n